Ice, snow and low temperatures are forecast for much of the UK, while a “huge operation” is under way to contain flooding in areas affected by recent rain.
A yellow warning for ice across the centre of the UK has been put in place by the Met Office, with hundreds of flood warnings in place and temperatures forecast to drop below zero in most places overnight.
Hill snow is predicted for central areas with rain sweeping over the south, while snowfall is expected to hit northern areas on Sunday evening.
Temperatures are expected to drop overnight to minus 2ºC in London, minus 1ºC in Cardiff, and minus 3ºC in Edinburgh and Belfast, while Highland areas of Scotland could see minus 10ºC.
Ian Withers, an Environment Agency worker for 30 years, said a “huge operation” is under way to control overflowing rivers in Somerset — an area particularly prone to flooding because it is below sea level.
Mr Withers told the PA news agency that water levels in several rivers are “higher than the land around them” and surrounding moors are being used as “reservoirs” to contain the overspill.
“The situation at the moment is, catchments are just extremely wet and saturated," said the duty manager for the Wessex area.
“I think we’ve seen the worst of this wet weather pass through and we’ve got a few more settled days ahead, which is really helpful.
“But as a consequence of all the rain we’ve had over the last week or so, the big rivers — the Severn, the Avon, the Wye — they’re so full with water, and that water has now got to work its way out of the estuaries into the sea.
“While they’re still high those pockets of flood risk will remain.”
Snow blankets the UK, with more wintry weather to come - in pictures
Mr Withers said up to 20 homes had been flooded in Wessex, and Environment Agency workers from Yorkshire had been drafted in to help prevent further damage.
He said residents in some towns invested in their own flood defences to ensure protection from encroaching water, even if it reached their windows.
Mr Withers believed the flooding was the latest example of “a changing climate in the shape of seasonal extremes” and “society as a whole needs to think about how much it is prepared to spend” on mitigation measures.
The government spent £2.6 billion ($3.2bn) on flood resilience between 2015 and 2021, and it will spend double this funding over the next five years, he said.
Pensioner Jilly Jay, 65, who lives in the Somerset town of Taunton, told PA that the River Tone was “pouring over the bank in places” and the flooding in her area was “pretty bad”.
Meanwhile, Cardiff resident Pam French said water damage in the city was almost as bad as it had been in the February 2020 deluge.
Ms French said that the city’s park run had been cancelled on Saturday, with the route inundated.
Weather warnings issued in the UK - in pictures
A large Met Office yellow warning for ice covers Wales and the Wessex area until 10am on Monday, along with Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, northern England, northern Wales and the Midlands.
The national forecaster has also issued a lengthy yellow warning for snow and ice across northern Scotland, from 2pm on Sunday through to 10am on Wednesday.
Another warning for snow across parts of south-east England has been issued for Monday, lasting from 2am until 8am.
Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell warned those driving to work on Monday to leave plenty of time for their journeys, as the worst of the ice is expected during rush hour.
Heavy rain causes flooding in parts of the UK - in pictures
“We could well see some wintry showers develop tonight across the middle band of the UK, with a risk of snow on high ground and slippery surfaces on lower areas,” Mr Snell said.
“This could be a problem during rush hour. It could cause a few problems on the roads. The risk of flooding is still there.”
He said that while “cold and wintry weather” coming from the Arctic is set to “dominate the UK” through the week, the weekend looks milder.
“Compared to the cold spell in December, it doesn’t look like it’s going to last as long,” Mr Snell said.
Earlier, flood defences, including boarding, were used in York city centre.
The City of York Council said it had taken the measures to keep the area “safe and open” as it urged visitors to plan their journeys in advance.
Rescue workers used a boat in the centre of York after the River Ouse burst its banks.
The Environment Agency had issued 98 flood warnings and 180 flood alerts in England as of Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued three flood warnings for areas of the Scottish Borders, Tayside and Ayrshire and Arran, along with two milder alerts for West Central Scotland.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
